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TOGO: Controversial Reform Plan

TOGO: Controversial Reform Plan The opposition forces a referendum on constitutional change – but can momentum be sustained?On September 15th, a parliamentary panel in Togo approved a controversial bill to revamp the constitution and introduce a presidential term limit, after days of protests against the regime of Faure Gnassingbé, the scion of Africa's oldest political dynasty.After a closed‐door session, 10 members of the National Assembly's law commission approved the government‐proposed text by a six‐to‐four vote.But the commission did not accept any amendments proposed by opposition parties during a debate held at the same time in the parliament chamber, including opposition leader Jean‐Pierre Fabre and three government ministers.“We submitted 48 amendments… the government which is backing this constitutional revision rejected them en bloc. So there was nothing for us to do in the chamber. We left,” Fabre said while leaving parliament.Gnassingbé's government approved the bill on September 12th on the eve of protests that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets across the country calling for change.The president has been in power since 2005 and won three elections that have been disputed by the opposition. His father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was president before him for 38 years.The opposition has long called for a http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

TOGO: Controversial Reform Plan

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2017.07862.x
Publisher site
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Abstract

The opposition forces a referendum on constitutional change – but can momentum be sustained?On September 15th, a parliamentary panel in Togo approved a controversial bill to revamp the constitution and introduce a presidential term limit, after days of protests against the regime of Faure Gnassingbé, the scion of Africa's oldest political dynasty.After a closed‐door session, 10 members of the National Assembly's law commission approved the government‐proposed text by a six‐to‐four vote.But the commission did not accept any amendments proposed by opposition parties during a debate held at the same time in the parliament chamber, including opposition leader Jean‐Pierre Fabre and three government ministers.“We submitted 48 amendments… the government which is backing this constitutional revision rejected them en bloc. So there was nothing for us to do in the chamber. We left,” Fabre said while leaving parliament.Gnassingbé's government approved the bill on September 12th on the eve of protests that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets across the country calling for change.The president has been in power since 2005 and won three elections that have been disputed by the opposition. His father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was president before him for 38 years.The opposition has long called for a

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series – Wiley

Published: Oct 1, 2017

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